Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said that Martin will likely be the team's leadoff hitter, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Martin has regularly hit first this spring, so Gardenhire's comments merely reinforce what's started to become apparent. The team likes Martin's speed atop the lineup, but of course he will have to improve upon his career-worst .172/.232/.281 slash line from 2017 if he wants to hold onto the job.

Martin has ditched his upper-cut swing from last season and is working on a flatter swing in spring training, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Martin increased his launch angle last year in search of more power and the results were miserable, as he posted a career-worst .172/.232/.281 slash line and struck out 25 percent of the time. So he's going back to his previous approach of trying to hit more ground balls and line drives. Martin looks like the top candidate to lead off for the Tigers this year, and the team will surely want him to emphasize getting on base over hitting for power. If Martin gets on base enough, he could be a sneaky source of speed, as he's stolen at least 20 bases in a season three times in his career.

Martin has manned the leadoff spot in each of the six Grapefruit League games he's started this spring and could maintain that role to open the 2018 campaign, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Tigers may look at other options atop the order against southpaws, but the lefty-hitting Martin looks poised to set the table for Detroit in most games against right-handed pitching, at least to begin the season. Martin opened the 2017 campaign as the Mariners' everyday center fielder before a putrid .174/.221/.287 batting line through 34 games resulted in him getting designated for assignment. Though his performance at the plate rebounded upon his demotion to the minors, Martin's one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Tigers will afford him little job security if he gets off to a similarly rough start in 2018. Even so, Martin's track record of excellent steals production coupled with his favorable assignment in the batting order could be enough to make him an appealing target in the end game of drafts and auctions.

Martin signed a one-year contract with the Tigers on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

The deal is worth $1.75 million and includes up to $1.1 million in incentives, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Martin struggled in 2017, splitting time between the Cubs and Mariners and hitting a combined .172/.231/.281 across 49 games between the two clubs. He's still a respectable defender and baserunner, however, and has shown flashes of being a serviceable hitter in the past (.247/.306/.378 with 15 homers and 24 steals in 2016), so he could be a sneaky source of steals/pop if he's able to win a starting job in Detroit's outfield out of spring training.

Martin cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Martin hit just .172/.232/.281 in 49 games last season, prompting the Cubs to drop him from their 40-man roster. He'll likely refuse his outright assignment to Iowa, making him a free agent. Wherever he ends up next season, Martin won't be more than a reserve outfielder.

Martin was traded to the Cubs on Thursday for cash considerations or a player to be named later, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

He cleared waivers Friday after being designated for assignment by the Mariners, but the club managed to find a trade partner and send Martin to Chicago. Martin has struggled this season, hitting .174 at the major league level, but he's still just 29 with tools that can be useful to the Cubs down the stretch. He figures to primarily be a depth with the ability to play any of the three outfield spots.

Martin cleared waivers Friday and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The outfielder was designated for assignment Wednesday to open a roster spot for the returning David Phelps. Martin, who hit .230 with three home runs and eight RBI in his latest Mariners stint, can return to the big-league club after 10 days, and even sooner if he's needed to replace a player going on the 10-day DL.

Martin was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Wednesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Martin was cast off the 40-man prior to Wednesday's game, while clearing up a spot for David Phelps (elbow) on the active roster in the process. During his time with the big-league club since the end of July, Martin was hitting .230/.266/.426 with three home runs and eight RBI. Although he was getting occasional starts in the outfield, the 29-year-old wasn't showing enough to warrant a spot moving forward, especially once Jarred Dyson (groin) returns from the DL within the next few days.

Martin went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs in Monday's 6-5 win over the Braves.

EDGE Analysis

Martin's season line (.175/.223/.289) continues to leave much to be desired, but that's partly due to the deep hole he dug for himself early in the season before a demotion to Triple-A Tacoma. He's hit safely in eight of his last 13 contests, a stretch in which he's also slugged a pair of homers. He's actually seen a nearly two-point drop in strikeout rate over last season, but a precipitous drop in BABIP (.313 to .207) is certainly a culprit in the deterioration of his overall numbers.

Martin went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Orioles.

EDGE Analysis

Martin's season average remains significantly below the Mendoza Line (.173), but he's shown improvement since returning from Triple-A Tacoma. The outfielder has a .446 slugging percentage and .214 ISO in the 57 plate appearances he's logged since his July 30 return, numbers partly comprised of four extra-base hits (one double, three homers) and a trio of multi-hit efforts.